tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15329279.post6513293338840373194..comments2023-08-25T05:18:29.312-06:00Comments on Madville Times: Pull the Plug on Markingcaheidelbergerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03261598066395322681noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15329279.post-63720922313275440062010-09-04T18:20:38.300-06:002010-09-04T18:20:38.300-06:00Mr. Ellis makes a passionate argument for raising ...Mr. Ellis makes a passionate argument for raising taxes on the sector of the economy with the most to lose, ie. his benefactors, the Koch's of the United States. <br /><br />Will they take their environment-raping industries to other countries? That is happening already. Good riddance.larry kurtzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06855417104900624838noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15329279.post-27438882131209178892010-09-04T08:28:33.054-06:002010-09-04T08:28:33.054-06:00Cory, you're right. Leadership is the key. Who...Cory, you're right. Leadership is the key. Who sets the agenda. Who decides which questions get answered? How are the resultant solutions prioritized?<br /><br />Regardless of how the system works, the ability to lead (and get people to follow) is the key to the quality of a good candidate.<br /><br />The fact that Ellis and Marking have marginal followings is really all you need to know as far as what "we the people" think.Bill Fleminghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08319507693205848772noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15329279.post-88720026868097441512010-09-04T08:21:22.714-06:002010-09-04T08:21:22.714-06:00You've only "demolished" our republi...You've only "demolished" our republic for a democracy in your liberal mind. Fortunately a whole world of reality exists outside of your mind.<br /><br />The Tea Party movement is calling for a restoration to <em>constitutional government</em> not a mobocracy or even a democracy. It is not a populist movement, but a movement calling for the restoration of law in the United States--obedience and adherence to the highest law of our nation.<br /><br />States are free to do many things the federal government is not. You'll find the framework for this in the Tenth Amendment as well as the very narrow parameters of federal power in Article 1 Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution.<br /><br />And, as I'm sure you are aware, were Marking to be elected to the position for which he is running, that would be a <em>federal</em> office.<br /><br />You are right that Marking has failed to show leadership. He's a nice guy with sincere desire to help our country. But the <em>reason</em> he fails to show leadership is because he is committed to a <em>followership</em> approach to governing--he wants to <em>follow</em> the will of the mob. <br /><br />Democracy and republic are two very different types of government, as Benjamin Franklin alluded to, and our founders (thank God) deliberately chose republic over democracy. <br /><br />Let's stick with the model that made us the greatest, most free, most prosperous nation in history.Bob Ellishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10413354616356999953noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15329279.post-43020332619104197902010-09-04T07:58:10.015-06:002010-09-04T07:58:10.015-06:00Thank goodness we agree only in conclusion—marking...Thank goodness we agree only in conclusion—marking not ready—and not at all in logic; otherwise, I'd spend the day feeling ill.<br /><br />I've <a href="http://madvilletimes.blogspot.com/2009/11/independent-candidate-bt-marking.html" rel="nofollow">commented before</a> that Marking's direct online democracy idea has some merit. It fits with South Dakota's leadership in allowing initiative and referendum, an important bit of direct democracy that Bob Ellis and his friends have embraced when they want to foist an abortion ban or health care nullification on the "republic." I've also previously <a href="http://madvilletimes.blogspot.com/2009/09/republic-not-democracy-so-what.html" rel="nofollow">demolished the "republic not a democracy!"</a> cry as an elitist shibboleth teabaggers use to make it sound like they possess some special knowledge of history and government. Remember, people, Bob is the Tea Party, telling you that the voice of the people should not be heard so much. More importantly, "Republic not a democracy!" makes no real difference in solving practical policy problems. <br /><br />I do agree that Congresspeople must show leadership. They must have ideas and plans to present to the people and fight for. They must be equipped to educate and mobilize the people and lead them in a constructive conversation about the direction of the nation. Marking has failed to demonstrate his readiness to lead our democratic republic/republican democracy in that way.caheidelbergerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03261598066395322681noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15329279.post-35084923518668928282010-09-03T20:06:02.115-06:002010-09-03T20:06:02.115-06:00You're finding out what the Rapid City Tea Par...You're finding out what the Rapid City Tea Party folks knew a year ago: he's not only not a viable candidate, he's not a <em>good</em> candidate. <br /><br />Marking came alongside the Tea Party movement early on, and we were friendly toward him. We allowed him to sell his book at one of our events, and I bought a copy. But once we started to learn about his campaign agenda, we quickly saw that we couldn't support it.<br /><br />Our founders created a republic, not a democracy. We created a nation where the people learn about the values of the candidates and vote for the one we believe will best reflect our own values in office. We created a system of government with a written constitution which establishes the parameters of what can and what cannot be done in government, and we require each elected official to swear fealty and obedience to that written constitution.<br /><br />We didn't create a puppet or tool of the mob who professes no values of their own, someone who pledges themselves to go with the whim of the mob (those who choose to make their voice known to their puppet, that is) regardless of whether it is constitutional or moral. <br /><br />This is part of why Marking lacks passion and enthusiasm, as you so deftly pointed out. He is an empty vessel, waiting to be filled with the will and passions of his constituents. He has nothing to get passionate or enthusiastic about at this point because he has not been told by his constituents via the electronic puppet strings of how he should vote. <br /><br />He's not a bad guy. He's just a guy who insists on doing democracy in a republic, and it doesn't fit.Bob Ellishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10413354616356999953noreply@blogger.com